Gamble, Loan, then Fake Kidnap

[Shinpako09]

A college student in PH faked his kidnapping so he could pay his gambling loan.

Even though I know there are people who would go very far because of gambling, it's still unbelievably insane when I see it for real.

I believe, with his mental state, even if his plan succeeded, I doubt he would pay his loan completely. Maybe just a little and play most of it again.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2026/09/04/2553842/student-nabbed-fake-kidnap#google_vignette


Another crazy incident, still in PH. A gas station attendant was also arrested for not remitting the earnings of the station. He said he gambled it. This is also not the first time this has happened. There was also news like this months ago, but in a different province.

These guys are insanely addicted.

[Bitcoin.com97]

Gambling Addiction is really bad ,and whenever it get to the point of taking loan is the height of it , imagine faking your own kidnapped just so you can  extort money from family,even if the money is given he will still not pay it ,few days ago ,a friend of mind was complaining how loan app are disturbing him and he is owning a lot of money ,when I ask what he whay he bought with the money ,surprising he told me he gamble with it,that it was a sure odd ,sure odd that you lost ,the rate at which people risk their selves for gambling this days is alarming ,now he is looking for a way to pay off,this is just first week ,meanwhile his salary is finished, probably he used it to settle other loan ,I really don't know why it's very difficult to work with budget instead of going far and above just to gamble .

[mitchr4]

I cannot believe someone would fake their own kidnapping just to cover a gambling debt. What makes it worse, that ransom money came from his family, and this could cause another problem if he does not pay his debt and gambles again hoping to double the ransom money. This is because someone who is already addicted usually finds it hard to stop even with more money.

Honestly I would be scared to use money for gambling if it was not mine. I am worried the result might not be what I hoped for. It is better to think about the worst thing that could happen before it really happens.

[Don Pedro Dinero]

I cannot believe someone would fake their own kidnapping just to cover a gambling debt. What makes it worse, that ransom money came from his family, and this could cause another problem if he does not pay his debt and gambles again hoping to double the ransom money.

I think that borders on psychopathy or something. The normal thing would have been to talk to his family, come clean, tell them he had a gambling problem, and ask them for money to pay off the debt. But of course, that would surely have meant—aside from his family getting angry—a commitment on his part to join a gambling addiction rehabilitation program, see a psychologist, things like that.

Faking his own kidnapping has caused his family double the pain.

[Darker45]

Here's another set of proofs that the country is indeed facing a gambling pandemic. In a way, this is much worse than COVID because there's no vaccine to this, and the government won't even lift a finger because much of the gambling money would ultimately end in the pockets of officials and leaders.

Families break, children stop going to school, heinous crimes committed, and so on because of gambling-related problems.

I have my fair share of personal experiences of friends borrowing money because funds that are intended for their family's needs are drained by gambling.

What's worse is that majority are addicted to slots, a casino game that's strongly designed to empty your pocket quickly. And to make it worst, these casinos, especially illegal or unregistered ones which are so widespread, could use pirated or cloned software. It allows them to reduce the RTP to as low as 90%, 80%, or even lower.

To make the reality even hopeless, most players are utterly clueless about it.

[Nrcewker]

So the main lesson we can learn from this is that never gamble with money that isnt yours. Taking out a loan to gamble is one of the worst things anyone can do. You are risking someone else’s money and that is an even bigger problem.

Its similar to the gas station guy. He not only risked other peoples money but also put his job at risk by gambling. People need to understand that gambling isnt a shortcut to becoming rich. Rather, if your luck isn’t on your side, it can become a shortcut to poverty.

Hence the main lesson here is simple if you choose to gamble, gamble only with your own money and most importantly never gamble with money that you cannot afford to lose.

[Don Pedro Dinero]

Here's another set of proofs that the country is indeed facing a gambling pandemic.

<...>

To make the reality even hopeless, most players are utterly clueless about it.

Really? I've seen a few stories like these about the Philippines. In every country, there are problematic gambling behaviors, but the percentage of people who fall into them is low. That said, those who do can ruin their lives very quickly. I don't know what specifically happens in the Philippines to make it worse there. I suppose it has to do with a combination of limited financial resources and a lack of financial knowledge.

[Africolo]

A college student in PH faked his kidnapping so he could pay his gambling loan.

Even though I know there are people who would go very far because of gambling, it's still unbelievably insane when I see it for real.

I believe, with his mental state, even if his plan succeeded, I doubt he would pay his loan completely. Maybe just a little and play most of it again.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2026/09/04/2553842/student-nabbed-fake-kidnap#google_vignette


Another crazy incident, still in PH. A gas station attendant was also arrested for not remitting the earnings of the station. He said he gambled it. This is also not the first time this has happened. There was also news like this months ago, but in a different province.

These guys are insanely addicted.

It's quite unfortunate that individuals who are into gambling have allowed themselves to become addicted to gambling and they do everything humanly possible to take advantage of the opportunity to get money in other to keep gambling, how could people take loans when they know they don't have any sources of income to repay those loans just because they have allowed themselves to be addicted.

Gamblers are just too desperate to win and they don't know that one has to be patient, gambling is not something you wake up and decide to engage and you expect to be winning on a regular basis it takes some time before one can win and sometimes people play and can't even win because of lack of luck. Even though he had succeeded he won't still pay the loans in full, we should try not to take loans to gamble and bet within our limits of income, It can be depressing to experience such. The fuel attendant needs to be sacked and arrested for gambling with business money.

[Darker45]

~snip~

Really? I've seen a few stories like these about the Philippines. In every country, there are problematic gambling behaviors, but the percentage of people who fall into them is low. That said, those who do can ruin their lives very quickly. I don't know what specifically happens in the Philippines to make it worse there. I suppose it has to do with a combination of limited financial resources and a lack of financial knowledge.

This pandemic is quite recent. It's around 2-3 years ago when scatter became a big hit. Scatter is just slots. Ever since it became popular, hundreds, if not thousands, of different versions came out. Links of different online sites and mobile apps flooded social media.

I'd say all influencers, vloggers, social media personalities, even mainstream celebrities are offered amounts they couldn't refuse just to promote gambling brands. And, for your information, my country is one of the top social media users in the world.

The problem is deeply-rooted. We can list down the factors that contributed to it.

• Lack of strict regulations and strict implementation. Read as: incompetent government not functioning at all, intentionally to a great extent because it's unbelievably corrupt. Not only are ads, links, apps--in other words, access to them--free for all, even unregistered sites and apps are free to operate, and minors free to play.
• Many people so love easy, quick, effortless money. Read as: lazy.
• Many people aren't even critical about whether or not the site is legit or licensed, the RTP is fair enough or too low, and so on. Read as: not only are the people lazy, they too are clueless, and struggle with comprehension and functional literacy.
• Many people don't organize their finances. Read as: they're financially illiterate.

[Yablee0]

We have talked about this in other threads.
There is more crazy stories you will keep on hearing all because of addiction. Such actions all in the name of gambling is a criminal act and the perpetrators shouldn't be spared. They should be made to face the full wrath of the law without being spared so that the rest of them that has same plans  or intentions we learn from it.

Because I just can't get it, how do they even have the mind, I mean the courage to carry out such horrible act without their conscience condemning them. To be very honest, if one person isn't used to sight an example from all of this, the other's wouldn't learn from it.

[lovesmayfamilis]

Because I just can't get it, how do they even have the mind, I mean the courage to carry out such horrible act without their conscience condemning them. To be very honest, if one person isn't used to sight an example from all of this, the other's wouldn't learn from it.

This guy watched too many detective stories about kidnappings. I've said more than once that some people who are addicted to games can put not only their own lives but also the lives of others at risk. In this story, he didn't even spare his own mother. what a scoundrel he is. Damn it. He probably didn't think for a single moment about how his parents would feel. What could happen if his parents took his "joke" seriously.  Heart attack... I sympathize with the parents, but they're also to blame for raising such a scoundrel. It really all comes down to how he was raised.

[TheUltraElite]

The extent people go to sometimes when trying to extract money. That too from your own parents, imagine the amount of pain this person had caused their parents when they viewed such a message and video of their own child blindfolded and asking for help.

Most parents would immediately break down and do something wrong.

They take their parents and the hardships that they have gone through to raise them for granted and minimal to negligible appreciation they have in order to work hard and make their parents happy, rather they will gamble with money they have.

The people need mental health care, PH has seen too many of such incidents.

[m2017]

A college student in PH faked his kidnapping so he could pay his gambling loan.

I didn't find information about the debt amount at the link you provided, but the text mentions a figure of 300,000 philippine pesos demanded by the fake kidnapper. Was the debt really around 300k.? That’s less than $5.

Even though I know there are people who would go very far because of gambling, it's still unbelievably insane when I see it for real.

Seeing something like this after learning the sum of money for which it was all orchestrated - that is what truly defies reason.

I believe, with his mental state, even if his plan succeeded, I doubt he would pay his loan completely. Maybe just a little and play most of it again.

Undoubtedly, given his level of intelligence, this student would certainly have tried to win back his losses at the casino - not just to cover all his debts, but to have enough left over for a life of luxury.

You already know where that would have led.

Another crazy incident, still in PH. A gas station attendant was also arrested for not remitting the earnings of the station. He said he gambled it. This is also not the first time this has happened. There was also news like this months ago, but in a different province.

These guys are insanely addicted.

In unskilled hands, gambling creates problems all around. The golden rule is: gamble only with money you are prepared to lose. And certainly, you should never gamble with other people's money.

[tech30338]

A college student in PH faked his kidnapping so he could pay his gambling loan.

I didn't find information about the debt amount at the link you provided, but the text mentions a figure of 300,000 philippine pesos demanded by the fake kidnapper. Was the debt really around 300k.? That’s less than $5.

Even though I know there are people who would go very far because of gambling, it's still unbelievably insane when I see it for real.

Seeing something like this after learning the sum of money for which it was all orchestrated - that is what truly defies reason.

I believe, with his mental state, even if his plan succeeded, I doubt he would pay his loan completely. Maybe just a little and play most of it again.

Undoubtedly, given his level of intelligence, this student would certainly have tried to win back his losses at the casino - not just to cover all his debts, but to have enough left over for a life of luxury.

You already know where that would have led.

Another crazy incident, still in PH. A gas station attendant was also arrested for not remitting the earnings of the station. He said he gambled it. This is also not the first time this has happened. There was also news like this months ago, but in a different province.

These guys are insanely addicted.

In unskilled hands, gambling creates problems all around. The golden rule is: gamble only with money you are prepared to lose. And certainly, you should never gamble with other people's money.

I feel bad for the parents friends and relatives they were betrayed by this guy just to support and pay debt because of gambling, this is why i always say that if you can't handle your addiction then stop, it will only lead to bad things just like what happen if he had only the balls to ask help from the parents instead of doing things like this, he would have not ended in jail, they could have made other options, and save the family face Infront of the world of family and friend, if you are starting to drift in gambling stop immediately.

[Fortify]

There is a long history of people doing extreme and stupid things in the quest for money, it so happened that this veered quite heavily into the realm of being illegal. Worst of all this was conducted against his own parents and will surely break the trust in this family for a long time. It's sad when a young person is feeling so desperate that they're willing to break what is likely their fairly normal morals to stoop to something like this. I don't agree with this idea of taking into account someones mental state in such a situation, because they've put themselves into it and it's only be taking responsibility that they are actually going to learn from it. It is possibly worth putting some kind of checks or restrictions on casinos, maybe even raise the minimum age to play, if it's causing lots of problems for students but I expect this is a rare case.

[Die_empty]

A college student in PH faked his kidnapping so he could pay his gambling loan.

Even though I know there are people who would go very far because of gambling, it's still unbelievably insane when I see it for real.

I believe, with his mental state, even if his plan succeeded, I doubt he would pay his loan completely. Maybe just a little and play most of it again.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2026/09/04/2553842/student-nabbed-fake-kidnap#google_vignette

This news has been discussed recently on the gambling board. The discussion was even moved to Off topic.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5593170.msg67111561#msg67111561

Another crazy incident, still in PH. A gas station attendant was also arrested for not remitting the earnings of the station. He said he gambled it. This is also not the first time this has happened. There was also news like this months ago, but in a different province.

These guys are insanely addicted.

Gambling and drug addictions are increasing among young people. I believe that ease of access and poor economic conditions in some countries are contributing to the increase in addiction. Those who use money that is not their own for gambling usually have the mindset that they will win and replace the money.

[gracreavix]

With what you have about one that staged his kidnapping to obtain money and the other that didn't remit his work money to the company says one thing.

Tring so hard to recover what has already gone, in the process losses more. You can't recover from a loss if you are desperate. Desperation creates room for more problems. A calm mind will navigate his way out of problems. When in a loss, it's not time to recover but to get yourself back.

[mindrust]

Fake kidnap story is crazy. Now he burned all the credibility he had before. (if he had any) And he did this only to gamble a bit longer. From now on nobody will ever believe a word coming out of his mouth. He won't be able to get employed anywhere... He might become a decent business owner though hehe. (just joking). Both of these people need professional help asap. I wish they were reading this forum, we could teach them the ways of responsible gambling. Uhm uhm.

[coinrifft]

(..snip..)

Lock this thread, there has been a similar topic before, Fake Kidnapping to Ask Parents for a Ransom because of Gambling.

And it has been moved to Off-Topic.